


A Slender Friend

by Zaikia



Category: Marble Hornets, Slender Man Mythos
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dreams, Hugs, Male-Female Friendship, Murder, Other, Psychological Horror, Weird Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 04:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1181964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaikia/pseuds/Zaikia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While all her friends are at college, Shell makes friends with something she would never thought to become friends with, only because she watched a documentary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Hurm….I’m never going to college…” I mumbled to myself and sighed, putting my head on my arm. Being 19-years old and an author of 5 months is difficult, especially living by myself. 

I lived in decent sized, two-story house on the edge of town that was surrounded by woods. Creepy, yes. But I was quite used to it. I was actually still preparing for a camp that I was going to for at least a week and I would be leaving on Friday. The camp was up in Maine and we were taking a very comfy bus, the ones with televisions and bathrooms. 

It was only Wednesday and I was pretty happy to be going. I needed some time away from Plymouth, my boring hometown. It was currently late July and cool out, unusual. Jess and I kept guessing the heat wave came early. Of course, she lives all the way down in Alabama and to my surprise, she’s going also. 

I was happy because I’d finally get to meet her in real life. We became really good friends over DeviantART and we communicate nearly every single day. My other best friends were off at college and I became quite lonely. I sighed to myself and answered the reply from Jess. 

‘So, have you heard of the Slenderman?’ I questioned. 

‘Oh my god, yes! He is so creepy…yet awesome at the same time.’ Jess had replied. ‘I am pretty sure he exists.’ 

I grinned slightly to myself. ‘I believe he’s real. Of course, he started out as an Internet sensation, but who’s to know if he’s been around since the beginning of time?’ 

‘Not sure. He kills adults’ 

Oh right, it was the summer of 2013. ‘Then I’m doomed. My place is completely surrounded by woods.’ 

‘Ah! Sucks to be you!’ 

‘Hahahaha, that was so funny I forgot to laugh’. 

I glanced at the time and groaned when I realized it was four in the morning. ‘Ugh, I’m going to bed. My eyes are about to drop. Talk to ya tomorrow.’ 

‘Later.’ 

I logged off DeviantART and turned off my computer and then went upstairs, yawning the entire way. I made sure all the lights were turned off and once in my room, I shut and locked my door- in case a pervert decides to break in and I would know- and then crawled into bed. 

“Ugh….so sleepy……” I mumbled tiredly and snuggled deep into my covers after turning my night stand lamp off. Minutes rolled by and I was just about to fall asleep when I heard a rustle from the corner of my room, the corner that was in front of my bed. 

I opened my eyes and looked at the space in front of my bed. I didn’t see anything, so it must’ve been the house or sumthin’. I closed my eyes again and then heard the rustle a second time. My eyes opened again and I very slowly reached underneath my pillow and grabbed my smallest katana, which was basically a very long dagger. 

My purple tank top was wrinkled from laying the way I had been laying and my long, dark brown hair was already spiking up from the overly soft pillows. There’s something in my room and they’re gonna get a rude awakening. I thought as my hazel eyes narrowed and grabbed the switch on my lamp. 

I mentally counted to three in my head and with a swift move, turned my light on and prepared to attack whatever was bothering me. But when I realized what it was, my entire being froze. 

The tall and slender body, the impossibly long limbs, the white and blank face and a black suit with a red tie and a white shirt…..

Oh fuck….it’s HIM. 

And then my stomach began to hurt. 

That broke me out of my trance and the katana fell from my hands and fell to the carpet right next to my bed. I groaned quietly and put a hand to my stomach, realizing what it was. The Sickness. 

An encounter with the Slenderman would cause coughing, aches and pains, nosebleeds and more. My breath hitched in my throat when the Slenderman placed a large hand on my mattress, then the other and swiftly climbed onto my bed. The bed groaned underneath his weight and I huddled against the wall right behind me. 

The pain in my stomach didn’t increase or decrease, it stayed the same as the creature, man, whatever the hell it was, got closer to me. No eyes, no mouth, but I could make out the slight definition of a nose at least. My eyes were wide with fear and a couple beads of sweat rolled down my face. I fought not to cry, since crying would be useless when you were going to die right then and there. 

The Slenderman stopped, sitting on his knees. I was practically half his height and even sitting on his knees, he was still mighty taller than me. I whimpered brokenly as his left hand reached out, long fingertips barely brushing my cheek. 

The terrifying being in front of me observed me for a few moments before- to my complete and utter shock and surprise- a very thin line appeared, right where his mouth would be and it expanded and stretched into a smile. 

A smile that sent shivers down to my very core. 

And what terrified me the most…was that he spoke, fucking SPOKE. 

“Hello Shell.” 

The deep and masculine voice sent more shivers down my spine, even a shudder or two. The voice was deeper than any male voice I had ever heard and it was powerful and booming, like a God. 

Shit….I thought, my eyes still wide as I stared up at the slender being. The long fingers that had been brushing my cheek were now touching my cheek and I found my voice. “D-don’t touch me!” I shouted out. 

The smile only widened and my fear grew when I saw the sharp, gleaming white teeth. The other hand reached out and if I didn’t do something soon, I would be trapped between him and the wall. There has to be something I can do to harm him! I thought, gritting my teeth in fear and frustration. 

Before he could trap me, I managed to slip out from underneath his arm and bolted for my door. I grabbed the doorknob and pulled, trying to open it, but it wouldn’t. That’s when I remembered it was locked. Of course! I thought and unlocked the door, quickly opening it. 

But then something wrapped around my legs tightly and pulled me to the ground. “Fuck!” I swore and grabbed the edge of the wall, clinging to it tightly. The pain in my stomach was becoming worse now and to the point where I cried out and released the wall by mistake. Nononononononooo!!! I screamed mentally and tried to dig my nails into the floor, but it proved to be of no use. 

Black tendrils wrapped around my body and lifted me up, much to my protesting and then slammed me against the wooden door, slamming it shut. I groaned out from the pain of being slammed and from my aching stomach. The tendrils suddenly released me and I was left standing, slumped against the door. 

I held a hand to my stomach and groaned from pain again, looking up just in time to see Slenderman right in front of me. I screamed, but my scream was cut short when one large, pale hand wrapped around my mouth and the other held my shoulder in place, to make sure I wouldn’t escape. 

I glanced up with tears in my eyes and they widened when I saw the many black tendrils that had sprouted from his back. I whimpered underneath the hand as the tall being bent down to me, his smile the same as it had been before, but no teeth showed. “I can practically smell the fear that you are releasing child. Even someone as brave as you, are afraid of the unknown.” He spoke in that dark, deep voice of his. 

I looked away from the eyeless face and to the side, shrinking back against the wooden door- that surely had a few cracks in it- as tendrils came around his towering body and towards me. Oh god…he’s gonna fucking disembowel me and then eat my heart! I started to struggle and the pain in my stomach increased immediately, causing a few tears to leak out of my eyes. 

A single tendril brushed against my way, brushing the tears away. “No need to cry child.” The Slenderman murmured, different from how he spoke before. The hand holding my shoulder in place left and it trailed down to my stomach, resting on it. I could feel insane heat radiating from the palm and from underneath my tank top. The heat spread over my belly area and the pain began to subside, which confused me. “Every human gets the Sickness, no matter if you are a Proxy or not.” 

I literally sighed when the pain finally subsided. Another tear slid down my cheek as my confusion only increased. Wasn’t he going to kill me? Put me under his control? Make me suffer? 

There was no smile anymore, but just a very thin line. His head tilted to the side, as if observing me. His nine to ten foot frame reached my ceiling and I had to crane my neck to look up. The hand around my mouth finally left and instead, both hands grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. My eyes widened as he leaned down, the line turned into a smile again, a wide smile and a black tongue came out. 

I forced myself not to scream or open my mouth. The tongue brushed over my cheek and I shuddered. I heard a deep chuckle come from him and the tongue ventured back into the mouth. I finally looked at the being’s face. “W-what do you want?” I asked with a shaky voice. 

“Who ever said I wanted anything from you child?” the Slenderman replied. “Would you like for me to take something from you?” 

“N-no! I…I…” I stammered and he put a long finger against my lips. 

“Hush child. I will leave you for now….but remember one thing,” he ventured to my ear and I felt insanely hot breath. 

“You are mine.” 

My eyes widened to the size of saucers and I let out a small cough, my vision going black and I don’t even know if I hit the ground when I blacked out. When I came to, there were no aches or pains, Slenderman was gone and I was on the floor, slumped against my door. 

My breathing was now normal and it was still dark out. I rubbed my arms, which felt warm. Even my stomach felt warm. 

The Slenderman’s last words echoed through my mind and I wondered…

What the hell have I gotten myself into?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning to the sun peeking through my curtains and groaned, putting a hand to my head. Maybe it was just all a dream…..

I got out of bed and lazily walked to the bathroom, switching on the light. I was scratching my cheek when I saw my reflection in the mirror and then froze, gasping. Around the places where the Slenderman had held me tightly, there were bruises. The ones on my face were light, but I could trace the marks where fingers were. I glanced at my right shoulder and saw a very dark bruise, even the shape of fingers and a handprint. 

Next, I lifted up my tank top and saw a bruise of the same color, the shape of a hand. The palm area was mostly on my belly, with the fingers curling around my side. I lifted my head to look at my reflection and I saw the fear and denial in them. 

“Fuck…..” I swore quietly to myself. 

After my shower, I got dressed and then contacted Jess. She was up and I told her everything. I was surprised she even believed me. I told her I had to go get some last minute things and that I would see her tomorrow. I shoved my boots on and grabbed a hoodie, leaving my hair down so I could at least try to hide some of the bruises. 

“You are mine.” 

Those three words had sunk into my head and all I wanted to do was curl up in a fetal position. I couldn’t tell my parents, they’d think I’d gone crazy. Jessica was the only leverage I had now, until I could tell someone else that believed in him also. 

One thing I kept wondering was, maybe these bruises weren’t intentional, maybe they just appeared…or they….oh, I don’t know. But I had a feeling Slenderman didn’t give them to me on purpose. Maybe he wasn’t evil….maybe…..he was…lonely….

I blinked and then sighed. “What am I thinking? He looked like he wanted to fucking devour me last night….oh…what am I gonna do?” I muttered softly to myself. 

I headed off to Wal-Mart and as I walked through the super store, I got strange looks from customers and I didn’t blame them. I would give someone a strange look if they had strange bruises on their face. 

I grabbed some clothes and put them into the cart. I usually wore jeans, since I never liked showing off my legs. I usually always wore either skinny jeans or baggy pants, with t-shirts and jackets or coats and boots or shoes. I was very self conscious of my body. My skin was too pale to be normal, I always got bruises and cuts and scratches easily- I’m prone to hurting myself at least once a day. 

Plus, me being The Queen of Freaking Awkwardness, I wasn’t well-liked. I had a lot of friends in high school, but since I’ve graduated, I’ve kinda lost them and they became more like acquaintances. I now have a very small group of friends and then my two best friends and Jess. Jess and I were like sisters via DeviantART. 

I sighed softly to myself as I gathered the last of what I needed and then headed to a check out. I would finally get to meet Jess in reality face-to-face. It was noon by the time I walked out of the store and to my car. It was a silver Chevrolet Stingray, the one from the Transformers movies. I originally wanted Bumblebee’s version, but they didn’t have that in stock. 

After I put everything in the trunk, I went around to the driver’s side when I suddenly began to hear a faint ringing in my ears. I grumbled and rubbed my ears, but the ringing didn’t go away. 

And then pain erupted in my stomach. 

Intense pain. 

I cried out and slumped against my car, falling to the ground. Both hands were on my stomach, trying to decrease the pain. It was painful to even move or let my stomach rise and fall as I breathed. The pain came again, more intense this time and I nearly screamed, but yelled out instead. 

I shakily grabbed the hem of my hoodie and shirt and lifted them up, looking down at my stomach. The hand-like bruise on my stomach was darker than before and I assumed it must be the bruise causing the pain. The bruise suddenly shifted and became bigger and this time I did scream out and fell on my back on the ground. 

I heard someone shout and two middle-aged women came to my side. “Call 911!” one of them shouted to another person and then turned to me. “Are you okay?! What’s wrong?!” 

“M-my stomach….” I gasped in pain, feeling a few tears roll down my face. All of a sudden, my vision blurred and I just happened to look to the side, seeing a towering and dark figure. I could vaguely make out the sleek, black suit, a red tie…white shirt. “F-fuck…m-make it stop…..” 

“I know it hurts sweetie. The ambulance is on its way.” The woman assured me, stroking my hair gently. 

But I wasn’t talking to her; I was talking to the being before me. No one else seemed to see him, just me. Slenderman kneeled down, his long legs folding underneath of him and he sat on his knees, like he did last night. His hand, the same one he used last night, reached out and laid itself across my stomach. 

I instantly felt insane heat spread through my stomach and to my surprise, the pain was beginning to subside. I was light-headed and exhausted, totally exhausted. The pain was now totally gone, but the hand on my stomach stayed there for a few more moments until my vision was almost completely black. 

Slenderman seemed to turn his head towards me, invisible eyes burning into my own hazel ones. The hand on my stomach left and long fingers brushed against my cheek and I suddenly felt a sense of comfort, as though he never intended to hurt me. 

There was no Sickness, no aches and pains, no coughing, nothing. I felt a sense of comfort and security and I heard a deep, masculine voice in my mind. 

The pain is gone child. But do not forget…..you belong to me. 

I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted to sleep. I didn’t know if Slenderman was bipolar, because he could be friendly one second and then have that dark smile the next second. I didn’t know what his intention with me was….but all thoughts flew out as my eyes closed completely. 

“Thank you…..” I barely whispered and then fell into a deep sleep. 

………………………….

When I woke up, the doctor that had looked at me said I had weird bruises on my skin, but when I looked, they were barely visible. Maybe the bruises were a first time encounter thing, because the ones are my face were moments away from fading. 

I was released from the hospital soon after since there was no reason for me to stay and I headed back to my house, thanking the person who brought my car to me. Afterwards, I brought everything inside and got all packed up and ready to go. 

By the time morning came, the bruises were completely gone and believed that Slenderman was the reason. I got all of my things and then went to the bus that would take me and the rest of the campers to Maine. 

It was a very long drive and I ended up sleeping most of the way there, usually staying up for only a couple hours at a time. When we finally reached Maine, I dragged my bags out of the bus and looked around the camp sight for Jess. 

The camp was absolutely beautiful, wooden cabins everywhere and a large, sparkling lake. 

“Shell!” a girl’s voice cried out and I turned around just enough to catch a girl around 17. 

“Jess!” I laughed and hugged her back just as tightly. We hugged for a few more moments and then pulled apart. “Man, it’s so good to finally meet you!” 

“I know!” Jess laughed. “Hey….what happened to the bruises?” 

I told her what had happened and she somehow agreed that maybe Slenderman was lonely and needed a friend. “People always end up running away from him. I think he just needs a friend to be there, maybe even you need him. I know how lonely you get in that boring-ass town of yours.” 

I nodded, completely agreeing with her. “I don’t know. He says….that…I belong to him.” 

“I think he’s got a crush on you Shell-bell.” 

I glared at her when she laughed. We were happy to find out we were rooming together and with two more girls named Amber and Michelle, both 19. The rest of the day was just unpacking and getting to know each other. Jess and I learned that Amber and Michelle were best friends and paranormal experts. 

Jess and I exchanged glances and I was the first one to speak. “Have you two heard of the Slenderman?” 

“Oh yeah.” Amber replied. “I learned about him when I was 12 and I’ve been still doing research on him. Trying to talk to witnesses and stuff like that. Michelle isn’t that much of a fan of him though.” 

“What do you guys know about him?” Jess questions. 

“Well…” Amber began. “We all know that he’s tall and thin, with long limbs and wears a black suit and has a white, blank face. We learned that he has abilities, like camouflage, mind control, a love-hate relationship with children, the tendrils or tentacles, selective visibility, teleportation and there’s the Sickness. Coughing, headaches, paranoia, stuff like that.” 

“We also know that he will stalk someone for a long period of time before they disappear and are never seen again.” Michelle finished. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat and spoke. “I….I’ve encountered the Slenderman.” 

Both Amber and Michelle shot up, asking how I was still alive and stuff like that. I told them everything that happened and we all seemed to agree. 

“Maybe he IS lonely and wants to have a friend. Like Jessica had said, people always run from him.” Amber spoke. “And maybe that’s the reason you haven’t disappeared yet Shell. I think….” She licked her lips. “That maybe he needs you. He may have been around since the beginning of time and probably never got to have a friend. Maybe the whole ‘you belong to me’ thing is probably a way of showing that he wants some sort of friendship…or even a relationship.” 

“Yeah, hell I’d agree if the guy was probably sexually deprived.” Michelle snickered. 

“You guys are fucking perverts!” I shouted at the two girls and they only laughed. “The thing I need to do is confront him myself and ask him what he wants from me.” 

The two girls snickered and I glared at them again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I knew I was in a dream, unless I was sleep-walking. I felt the cool, night breeze past my bare arms and I shivered. I glanced down and saw that I was wearing a knee-length black dress with spaghetti straps. 

“What the fuck?!” I swore and tried to use my arms to cover myself. “Seriously, why do all of my dreams involve wearing a seductive dress? Fucking perverts…” I grumbled and looked around. I saw that I was in a dark forest, but I could see the moonlight casting down on me and the stairs sparkling in the sky. 

I huffed quietly to myself and began walking through the forest. “Seriously, why do I always have to walk in dark woods also…?” 

I suddenly heard what sounded like footsteps behind me and I stopped. I mentally screamed at myself not to look behind me, knowing he would be there. But the sensation to look was overwhelming and I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly glanced over my shoulder. 

Nothing was there. 

I sighed and took only one step forwards before I saw a semi-large pale hand come around and before I could scream, it covered my mouth. To my horror, more hands connected to their arms came around. One placed itself on my stomach and two more held my wrists. 

My eyes widened as I was pulled to an insanely warm, but tall and thin body. I only about reached the stomach-area and I could feel the sleek suit that brushed against my shoulders. All of a sudden, the featureless face that belonged to tall being was suddenly in front of me and out of fear; I pressed myself against the stomach behind my head. 

The thin line appeared and stretched into a smile that sent shivers down my spine. He can also cause nightmares. I thought, remembering what Amber and Michelle had said. This is just a dream Shell, just a dream. 

The hand covering my mouth trailed down to my neck, fingertips barely brushing my skin and I shivered from the touch. I had no way out; I was trapped. A small whimper escaped from the back of my throat and I felt a rumble come from the Slenderman’s chest. “Hush child. There is no need to fear.” He murmured, the hand on my neck going to hold my chin. 

A single tear slipped down my cheek and a finger brushed it away. I wanted to curl up into a fetal position and cry. A defense mechanism of mine was crying, which I used to do a lot to get myself out of trouble. All of a sudden, the hands holding me suddenly released me and he vanished. 

I gasped and began to run. My bare feet slammed down on the forest floor as I ran, trying to find some way out of the woods. I got cuts from branches as I ran, one on my cheek, arm and thigh. I glanced behind to see if I was being followed and right when I looked back in front, I slammed into a solid, but thin body. I tried to run, but long arms went around me and I was picked up by the being, almost like how a child would be carried. 

He began walking, his arms tightly secured around me. Another small whimper escaped my mouth and I tightened my hold on the shoulders covered by sleek, black cotton. I felt like a child being carried by their father. Tears trickled down my face as I found no strength to fight. I just let myself give in and touched my cheek to the shoulder, feeling so much like a child. 

He walked for a bit longer until we came to a large, intimidating tree that had branches wildly sticking out from all directions, like how his tendrils would do that. I sniffled and lifted my head when he turned and sat down against the tree, his long legs folded Indian-style. I was then set down in his lamp, my head against his chest. His arms were still around me, but they were warm and they felt like a sense of comfort and security. 

Maybe Amber was right…maybe all he needed….was a friend. I sniffed, my cheeks glistening with tears and glanced up into the faceless face, seeing a thin black line. He seemed to be looking down at me with invisible eyes and that’s when I found my voice. “W…what are you going to do with me…?” 

One hand stayed around me while the other went to my head, affectionately stroking my hair. When I realized he wasn’t going to answer me, I just leaned back against his chest and closed my eyes. 

When I opened them, I was staring at the ceiling of the bunk bed I was lying in. “Shit…..” I swore quietly to myself and glanced at the alarm clock near Jessica’s bunk. It was 3 in the morning. “Damnit…..” I sighed and then eventually lay back down and went to sleep. 

The next morning I woke up and put on my bathing suit, plus a pair of purple cotton shorts and a black tank top. Reminder, self-conscious. 

“Shell, you have such a pretty body, but where did you get the scratches?” Jessica questioned, poking my scratched cheek. I realized they were from the branches in the dream. 

“I must’ve scratched myself in my sleep.” I replied, but Jess knew it was something else. We girls headed out to the lake and I wasn’t very comfortable with lakes, because the water was always too deep. To tell the truth, I was terrified of drowning and I was an okay swimmer. 

Today was more of less a laid-back day; kids could do what they wanted. I sat on the edge of the wooden dock, kicking my legs back and forth. 

“Shell, why aren’t you getting in?” Michelle questioned, pulling her long black hair into a ponytail. 

I shrugged. “I’m not really up for it.” 

All three girls frowned and exchanged glances, then looked back at me. “Did you have a nightmare about him?” Amber asked. 

I looked down. “It wasn’t really a nightmare, just a dream.” I told them what happened and Amber agreed that maybe Slenderman was just lonely and wanted a friend. I sighed and grabbed the edge of the dock, lowering myself into the water. It was cold at first, but it became warm in a few seconds. 

We ended up staying in the water for a good few hours and even went out pretty far. By that time, my arms were killing me and the counselors signaled everyone to come in for lunch. 

I was pretty far behind, catching up with Jessica, Amber and Michelle. They were already on the dock. “Come on slowpoke!” Jess joked as she dried off. 

“I’m…coming…” I breathed, stopping for a moment to catch my breath. All of a sudden, I felt something brush by my leg. I frantically glanced around and below in the water, but I didn’t see anything. “What…?” I muttered to myself and that’s when something wrapped around my ankle and pulled me under. 

Water burned my eyes as I struggled underneath the surface of the lake, trying to get my head above the water. I kept my lips closed and looked frantically around for whatever had pulled me under. Suddenly, Slenderman’s white, faceless face was right in front of mine and I almost opened my mouth, but remembered I was surrounded by water in every direction. 

The same smile was on his face and his long arms wrapped around me and pulled me to his overly tall form. I struggled in his hold and could feel my chest tightening with each passing second and my vision was starting to go black. 

Nothing to fear….but fear itself. A deep chuckle echoed in my mind and with that, my eyes closed and when my mouth opened up everything went blank. 

……………………..

“Come on!” 

One last push to my chest and I heaved, my eyes popping open widely as water erupted from my mouth. I coughed violently and rolled onto my side, aware of kids and adults around me. 

“Are you alright?” one of the counselors asked. 

I coughed a bit more, but nodded and Jessica, Amber and Michelle all helped me up and get back to our cabin. “Shell, what happened?” Jess asked me once we got back into the cabin. 

“H…..he pulled me under….” I replied with a scratchy voice. 

“Slenderman?” 

I nodded. “He said….nothing to fear…but fear itself…” I sighed shakily and climbed up to my bunk, lying down. I eventually dozed off and woke up around 9, right when everyone had just fallen asleep. I sighed once more and got into more comfortable clothes before going out for a walk in the woods. 

I had my hood up, so I wouldn’t get anything in my hair from the trees. My footsteps made crunching and snapping noises as I walked through the woods. They weren’t thick, but pretty good size. All of a sudden, I heard some sort of whizzing noise and something sharp, very sharp, plunged into my right shoulder. 

I screamed out in pain and fell to the forest floor, groaning and beginning to cry. I reached around to grab whatever had plunged into my shoulder, but it was grabbed and yanked out. I cried out and then I was rolled onto my back by someone’s foot. I glanced up with teary eyes and saw a male, about my age or a little older, wearing dark jeans, a jacket and a shirt underneath and glasses. 

Wait…..he looked familiar…..

My eyes widened when I realized who it was. 

“A…Alex Kralie..?”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I held a hand to my injury, trying to get the bleeding to stop. It hurt like fucking hell. “Ow…” I groaned quietly and then looked up at the guy before me, whose eyes were narrowed. “You’re….Alex Kralie, right?” 

“How do you know my name? Did he tell you?” Alex’s voice was full of anger, but I could hear a bit of panic in there. It seemed like Slenderman was still stalking him. 

“N-no…I….we……others know your name from the Marble Hornets.” I replied, stammering a little. 

Alex crouched, still holding the knife in his hand. It looked like a hunting dagger, used for butching deer or sumthin’. “You looked like someone who was after me. I thought you were the hooded guy.” 

“It’s…..alright….” I winced as I tried to stand up, but Alex suddenly stood too quickly for me to notice and with his foot, pushed me back to the ground. “What the hell?” I nearly yelled and then I gasped when he grabbed my right arm and then stuck the dagger through my sleeve, pinning me to the ground. “What the hell are you doing?!” 

“You’re with him.” Alex growled and hovered on all fours, hovering over me. “I can practically smell it on you. You might not be controlled by him, but you’re still with him. Did he send you to kill me?” 

“What?! I am not being controlled by Slenderman! And I’ve never even seen you in reality until now!” I shouted at him. “I’m not here to kill anyone! I just came to camp with my friends!” 

He glared down at me harshly and pinned down my other arm with one hand. “Maybe I’ll leave you here for him to find……” he muttered. 

I didn’t get it at first until I saw a look in his eyes and then I panicked. “You can’t! Get off me Alex!” I tried to kick my legs, but he only pinned them down with his own. “Stop it!” 

“Shut up!” he roared and slapped me across the face. 

My head snapped to the side and I already felt my cheek begin to sting. He went to my hoodie and unzipped it, revealing my black tank top underneath. Oh god…he was going to rape me! I tried to yell out again, but his free hand covered my mouth and I was rendered silent. Tears trickled down my face as I realized I wasn’t going to get out of this. 

I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed to God it would be over soon. 

Suddenly, Alex’s weight was all gone and I opened my eyes, looking up and gasping. There was a black tendril coiled around Alex’s neck, causing him to gag and choke. I glanced ahead and gasped when I saw Slenderman standing a few feet behind the choking Alex. 

The tendril snapped to the side, tossing Alex against a tree. I heard a crack when he collided with the tree and cringed when he hit the ground, motionless. I grabbed the dagger and yanked it out of my sleeve, tossing it away from me. I trembled slightly and nearly began crying again as the tall being walked towards me and I saw him crouch down. 

A finger went underneath my chin and tilted my head up, so I was gazing into the Slenderman’s faceless face. Then, the thin line appeared and he spoke. “Are you injured?” 

I gave a small nod and lifted up my right arm as much as I could. “Alex stabbed the back of my shoulder with a hunting knife….” I replied quietly and winced as I shrugged off my hoodie. I felt blood trickling down my back, staining my tank top. I was gently turned around and I saw his long legs connect with the ground so that he was sitting on his knees. 

One arm went around my torso, pinning my arms to my side while the other went around my neck, the hand on my head. “W-what are you doing…?” I shuddered from the touch. 

Be still. His voice echoed in my head and without warning, I felt something slick and slightly wet trail up the right side of my back. 

My eyes widened to the size of saucers and then I cried out when the tongue slid into the wound. Tears trickled down my face from the pain and my body was trembling to the point where I was also whimpering. It moved around inside a little, which felt incredible weird and then slid back out. I heard some sort of squishing noise and then the pain in my right shoulder was gone. 

The hold on me loosened and I slowly glanced at my shoulder to see nothing but a scar. The hand on my head brushed my tears away and cradled my cheek. I felt that same sense of comfort and security and sighed, closing my eyes and somewhat leaning into his touch. I haven’t had this sort of contact in years. It felt somewhat weird, yet it felt also somewhat nice. 

I opened my eyes and glanced over at Alex’s unconscious form. “Is he….dead..?” 

No, merely unconscious. His voice replied in my mind. Alex……has become quite a problem. 

I felt myself nod and I grabbed my hoodie, sliding it back on and zipping it up. I felt extremely exhausted again and when I leaned against the being’s chest, I was lifted up like I weighed nothing but a feather. I was also really sore…a hot bath sounded nice. 

Slenderman may be one of the most terrifying things that ever existed in my life, but he also fascinated me. Here he was, carrying me after saving me from a life-threatening experience. What was so special about me? 

“What’s so special about me….?” I barely whispered, my head against his insanely warm chest. 

There was only silence for a moment….and then he spoke, with his mouth this time. “Because you did not run.” 

He was right. As much as I did want to run, I didn’t. Because if I didn’t mean something to him, I would’ve been dead a long time ago. 

“Thank you…..” I murmured and felt myself slowly drift off into a deep sleep. 

……………………………..

When I woke up, it was around nine in the morning and breakfast was at 9:30. I groaned and opened my eyes, peeking over the edge of my bunk bed. 

“Morning sleepy-head.” Jessica joked and then she glanced at my face. “Hey….you okay?” 

I blinked tiredly and nodded. “Yeah…I’m just really tired.” I climbed down the ladder on the side of the bunk bed and jumped to the ground. Today we were going on some trails in the woods. I wonder what happened to Alex…..

During breakfast, I was pulled aside by one of the camp counselors. His name was Anthony Wakens, a 28-year old male. He was considered very handsome, jet black hair and green eyes. And he was gay. 

The other counselors didn’t mind that he was gay, but they had to keep that information secret from some parents. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked me. 

I blinked tiredly. “Yeah, I just haven’t been sleeping very well lately. Personal problems.” 

“Shell, you can tell me anything. I’ll keep a secret if I need to.” Anthony spoke. “Well…I overhead you and your friends talking about the Slenderman. Let me tell you something….I believe in him too.” 

My eyes slightly widened. “You do?” 

“Yes, hell yes.” He replied. “When I’m not camping or at camps, I’m a registered paranormal investigator. I’ve done research on the Slenderman since I was 13 and he is still a mystery to me. Shell……have you seen him?” 

I was silent for a moment, and then we went to a more private area to talk. I told him everything that was going on and even last night’s encounter. “Alright. I want you to stay very close to your friends for the rest of the week.” Anthony reached over and touched my shoulder. “If anything happens, I want you to come to me. Okay?” 

I nodded and then we went back to breakfast. I felt slightly relieved that I had an adult on my side, but I was still worried that Alex was still out there. What about Jay? Or even Masky/Tim? I had a feeling I would find out soon. 

We split up into groups of six kids in each, with one counselor. I was with my friends and we had two little kids with us. As we walked down the trail, I was glancing around when one kid spoke up. “Hey, what’s that?”

We all looked over to see something silver sticking out from a bush and the counselor walked over and grabbed it. My eyes slightly widened. It was the same hunting knife Alex used to stab me last night. 

“Oh my….” The counselor whispered. “Doesn’t look like it’s been out here for very long.” 

“Cool! Can I have it?!” 

“No you can’t!” 

The kid groaned and grumbled to himself. 

I looked away from the knife and prayed I would never see it again. After the day was over, we were in our cabins and I was lying in my bed, just watching the three other girls. “Shell, what did you and Mr. Wakens talk about?” Michelle asks. 

I told them and they were surprised, since not many adults believe in the Slenderman. I sighed and rolled over in my bunk, falling asleep instantly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As July faded into August, we only had a few days left at the camp before everyone went home. The hot weather turned cool and it was too cool out to go swimming, so we mostly went walking through trails and camping in the woods. 

Currently, it was 9 o’clock at night and Jessica, Michelle, Amber and I, plus three boys named Andy, Rick and Pete, were all gathered around the fire. We were all talking about different subjects and roasting marshmallows and having a good time. I haven’t seen the Slenderman for a couple days, but I could still feel his presence. 

He sincerely reminded me of a god-like entity. Powerful, ancient and dark, but not exactly evil. And I somewhat felt like I was his “human”, like how someone has a dog or a cat. I sighed softly to myself and pulled my marshmallow away from the fire and slid it between two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. 

“So,” Rick spoke up. “Anyone heard about the story of the Slenderman?” 

“Yeah, what about him?” 

“Well, I heard that he’s this tall, suit-wearing creature who looks like a man, but isn’t really one. And he kidnaps children, probably kills them.” Rick replied. 

“Yeah, that’s what all the stories say.” I mumbled, hoping Rick didn’t hear me, but he did. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Haven’t you really thought of things from his perspective?” I questioned. “Maybe he’s been around since the beginning of time and he’s lonely. Maybe he just doesn’t kidnap children; maybe he just wants them to be his friends. Maybe he stalks humans because he observes them.” 

“Wow, looks like someone has a little crush on Slender.” Pete snickered and we four girls glared at him. “I’m serious! How would you know? Have you seen him?” 

I tilted my head to the side. “Would you be afraid if I said yes?” 

He snorted. “No, because he doesn’t exist. He’s just an Internet legend.” 

“You don’t know anything about him so just shut your mouth!” I shouted angrily. 

“Jesus, what’s gotten into you?” Pete grumbled. “You act like he’s your best friend or sumthin’.” 

“Well, I have encountered him and you know what, he IS lonely.” I growled at him. 

“Oh shut the fuck up. You’re just trying to get attention.” 

“Come on Pete. Knock it off.” Andy said to his friend. 

My eyes narrowed at Pete and I threw my s’more in his face. “Fucking asshole.” I grumbled and then got up and went into the tent. Around an hour and a half later, I was still awake while everyone else was sleeping. 

I had to talk to him. 

What Pete had said earlier had bothered me greatly. 

I sighed softly and grabbed my hoodie, sneaking out of the tent quietly and carefully walking away. My shoe-covered feet snapped branches along the way and my flashlight shined against trees and the forest floor. I looked around and finally just rested against a tree, waiting. 

It wasn’t long before I felt his presence. I came out from behind the tree and saw him standing there, his nine to ten foot frame clearly in the darkness. I climbed the tree and sat down on a branch so I could at least be face-to- face with him. He had one hand around a branch, the other at his side. 

I sensed your discomfort. He spoke, his powerful, booming voice in my mind. What bothers you? 

“It’s not really that important……” I said quietly, unsure if I should tell him or not. “Just somebody insulted you…that’s it.” 

It clearly bothers you however. Slenderman spoke and his other hand rose to my face. It lay upon my cheek, nearly engulfing the entire left side of my face. Would you like for me to rid of him? 

“Well no…there’s no reason. He was just being a prick.” I mumbled my reply. 

Invisible eyes bore into my own hazel ones and I briefly wondered what his vision was like. Could he see at all? Was his vision foreign? Or did he see through the use of feeling with those tendrils or sounds? I would probably never know. When his hand slightly rubbed against my cheek, I couldn’t help but sigh and lean into the touch. I couldn’t remember the last time I had this sort of contact with anyone. 

I haven’t really been in any real relationships; I’ve not gotten my first kiss yet either. Not that I’m embarrassed by that either….. 

I’ve just been alone most of my life, so this sort of contact was new to me. “Someone else believes in you.” I spoke. “One of our counselors and he believed every single word I said to him. He’s a nice counselor too……but he’s gay. Any girl would go after him if he was straight.” 

Slenderman tilted his head to the side and then straightened it back to where it had been, as if he was thinking deeply. His fingers brushed over the scar on my cheek, the one I had gotten from my dream. 

My fear of him was slowly fading away….

“I-.” 

My sentence was cut off when we both heard a SNAP. 

We both looked to see Pete, staring in horror at Slenderman, but paying no attention to me. “You’re real!!” He cried out in a panic and turned on his heel to run. But he didn’t get very far. Tendrils sprouted from Slenderman’s back and wrapped around the boy, dragging him back to us. 

Pete screamed underneath the tendril’s grasp, tears rolling down his face. He was lifted up so he looked the tall, suit-wearing entity in the face. “Don’t kill him.” I pleaded. “Can’t you…wipe his memory or sumthin’ like that?” 

Pete glanced at me with teary eyes and then back to Slenderman. The two stared intensely at each other until Pete’s eyes dulled and he nodded. He was set down and then he walked away. 

“Thank you….” I murmured and thought I’d better head back before anyone else comes out. I began climbing down the tree and when my feet landed on a thin branch, it broke underneath my weight. I gasped as I began to fall, but was immediately caught in the tall man’s arms. 

You should be more careful. He spoke. 

I gave a half-hearted chuckle and then sighed tiredly. Why as I always so tired? I yawned. “I should probably get back before someone else decides to come looking for me….” 

I was gently set down and before I could walk off, hands grasped my face and I became surprised when the overly tall being bent down to press invisible lips to my forehead gently. I felt heat rush up to my face as I attempted to keep the blood from rushing to my face, but failed. 

He slightly pulled away from me, hands still grasping my face and looked down at me with invisible eyes. You may not see me, but I will always be watching. 

And then he vanished. 

I stood there, dumb-founded for a moment before I finally reached up and brushed two of my fingers over my forehead. That was….weird….yet…comforting. I thought and then headed back to the tent. 

…………………………

“*sob* I’m gonna miss you guys so much….” Jessica sobbed as the four of us hugged tightly. 

I fought not to cry and squeezed my eyes shut, hugging the three girls to me. It was the day of leaving, the day we all dreaded the most. Michelle and Amber were going back to Florida and Jessica was going back to Alabama. And I would be going back to my boring-ass town in Indiana. 

“I wish I could come with one of you guys……” Jessica mumbled. 

“Ask yer mom and maybe you could stay with me next summer.” I spoke and we all shared a chuckle. We said the rest of our goodbyes and headed off to the buses that would take us home. We waved goodbye through the windows and I felt a couple tears slip down my cheek as the bus pulled out of the camp. 

Many thoughts crossed my mind. 

Would I encounter more people from Marble Hornets? Would Alex come after me again? Those sorts of thoughts crossed my mind and to get them off my mind, I listened to music and slept the entire way back. 

I was dropped off and I put my things in my car and drove back to my home. I was just about to get my bags out of my car when I heard someone speak. 

“Um…. E-excuse me….” 

I stood up fully and halfway turned around to see a guy, around my age or maybe a bit older standing there. He had black hair with sideburns and wore a familiar tan/yellow jacket….

Wait a minute…..

My eyes widened when I realized who it was. 

Oh fuck…..


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

This is one of the many reasons why I try not to get myself involved in supernatural shit. ‘Cause when and if I do, I meet people I never would’ve thought I’d meet. 

And one of them was standing right in front of me. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat, staring at the dark-haired man before me. “How can I help you?” I questioned, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice. 

“Oh uh…I’m sorry, I uh…don’t mean to bother you….” He spoke, trailing off for a moment and coughed a little. “But um….” 

I now noticed he was holding a hand to his left arm and blood was covering most of the sleeve. My eyes narrowed and I closed the trunk of my car when I got the last of my things out. “Follow me.” I spoke. 

He managed to walk up the sidewalk to my house and entered, where I kicked the door closed and made sure it was locked. I threw my things onto the couch and guided the dark-haired male to the kitchen, where I handed him a towel. “Take your jacket off and put pressure on the wound.” I ordered and then went to the bathroom. 

I grabbed the first aid kit, some towels and some needle and thread. I don’t know if I would have to stitch the wound. It would have to depend how deep it is. I sighed and walked back into the kitchen, taking my jacket off. I set the supplies on the table and moved the towel away from the wound. 

Blood covered most of his arm and the wound was a cut across his arm, seemed to be from a knife. “How and when did you get this?” I questioned, noticing the blood had already stopped. 

“Um…I got attacked and it was with some sort of knife, I think it was a hunter knife.” He replied. 

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. 

Might as well tell him. 

“Let me guess, Alex attacked you?” 

There was silence and then….

“H-how did you….?” 

I opened my eyes, my hazel ones burning into his brown ones. “MarbleHornets. Youtube. I’ve been watching the entries for about a year now and it’s nearly been a year since Entry 62 came out.” 

I’ll admit, I almost grinned when I saw the freaked out expression on Tim’s face. But I kept the grin hidden, so I mentally grinned. “I don’t mean to freak you out, but all MarbleHornets fans know who you guys are.” 

He seemed to relax a little, enough for me to glance at the wound and making a noise of disgust. “So um…..since you already know my name….what’s yours?” 

“My friends call me Shell. Hang on, this is gonna hurt.” 

After about an hour of swearing, blood and sweat, I finally got Tim’s wound all stitched and cleaned up. I sighed, noticing how badly my hands were shaking. “I guess I can say for my first time stitching someone…I did a pretty good job.” 

He managed to crack a small smile. “Yeah….how’d you learn?” 

“Television.” I replied bluntly and then stood up, putting everything away and washing my hands. I walked back into the kitchen and glanced at Tim, who was standing up and grabbing his jacket. “What are you doing?” 

“Um…leaving..?” 

I quirked an eyebrow. “Do I really look like the type of person to kick people out of my home without question?” 

“Well…not really…” he replied. 

I sighed and closed one eye. “Give me your jacket.” 

He handed me his jacket and I checked the size tag. “Alrighty.” I said to myself and draped the jacket over the edge of the chair. “I’ll be back in an hour tops.” I grabbed my purse/bag and keys and headed towards the door. 

“H-hey!” he called out and I halfway turned to him. “Um…where are you going?” 

“The store. You need clothes.” I replied bluntly and Tim seemed confused. “Listen, you came to me, so I’m doing what a host should do. Take care of their guest. Besides, you seem nicer than Alex.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“I’ve met him….and not in a good way. Be back in an hour tops. Don’t do anything stupid and….oh what am I saying? Yer probably older than me. God, I feel like a mother…” I mumbled and then left. 

As I wandered about in the men’s section of Wal-Mart’s clothing, I felt a slight tinge of pain in my right shoulder. 

Where Alex had stabbed me days before. 

I tenderly rubbed the spot and the pain soon went away. I will forever have a grudge against Alex, even though I don’t normally hold grudges. I sighed softly to myself and briefly wondered what was going to happen next. 

…………………….

He was confused. 

Of course. Why wouldn’t he be confused? 

A girl he barely…no, didn’t know anything about, wasn’t kicking him out? Most people that encountered him would’ve kicked him out on the spot. 

But she…she was different. 

Of course, Tim did get freaked out when she had said she saw MarbleHornets on Youtube. But she didn’t sound nor act like a stalker or freaked out when he came up to her. She seemed…..

Helpful. 

Tim sighed softly to himself and felt the sensation in his chest. The sensation to cough. He put a hand to his mouth as he coughed and groaned when his throat throbbed. He hadn’t had a cigarette in fucking days and he was dying to have one. 

He searched through the pockets of his jacket and then his jeans. He felt into his back pockets and pulled out one single cigarette. “Son of a bitch…” he muttered to himself and grabbed his lighter from his pocket, lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag. That…feels so much better…he thought. 

After finishing his cigarette, he heard the screeching of tires as a car pulled into the driveway, a silver Chevrolet to be exact. About five minutes later, the front door unlocked and the girl, Shell, came walking in with many bags in her arms. “God…I fucking hate shopping for clothes…” she grumbled, her grayish-green eyes filled with annoyance. Her face showed it too. 

After dropping the bags on the couch, she kicked her boots off, took off her jacket and walked into the kitchen, dropping her keys and bag onto the kitchen counter. “Glad you decided to stay.” She spoke, groaning a bit as she twisted her back, cracking it loudly. 

Tim watched her movements. She didn’t seem threatening or dangerous in any way, although she did give off an aura that spoke ‘Piss me off and I will stab you’. But it didn’t seem dangerous to him…unless he did piss her off. He hadn’t seen her smile yet, so maybe she was going through some problems. People didn’t usually smile when they were frustrated. 

She actually came off as the tough and/or brave girl. Very determined too. But she looked tired, extremely tired. She had long, dark brown hair that somewhat contrasted with her pale skin and a heart-shaped face. She didn’t look too skinny, but she didn’t have any fat on her, as much as he could see. 

“God…I’m so fucking tired….” She mumbled and sat down at the table, putting her head in her arms. “There’s a bathroom upstairs. Go ahead and use it.” 

…………………………..

Around seven o’clock pm, I got the guest room all ready and even got the clothes out and put them in respectful places. I sighed to myself, rubbing the back of my neck. I yawned and briefly wondered what Jessica was doing. 

I shrugged off that thought and wandered back downstairs. “Hey…have you eaten today?” I asked once I reached the living room. 

Tim thought to himself for a moment and then replied. “No.” 

“Jesus, I never saw you eat in the entries either.” I grumbled and went to the phone. “Anything you specifically want? I’m too lazy to cook.” 

“Um……pizza?” 

I shrugged and called it up. “Junk pizza okay with you?” 

“Sure.” 

I ordered a salad and a large supreme pizza from Pizza Hut and they said it would take about 20 minutes to make. I would have to go pick it up though, since it was a customer salad. I glanced back at Tim, who had some sort of nervous look on his face. I blinked tiredly. “What’s on your mind Tim?” 

“You uh…probably don’t approve of it…but I’m out of cigarettes and I don’t have any money…..” he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck. 

I blinked tiredly again and then yawned. “As much as I don’t approve of it, it’s not my place to tell you what to do and what not to do. How often do you smoke?” 

20 minutes went by and I left to go grab the food. I came back with the food and cigarettes for Tim. He thanked me and immediately smoked one, calming down. My parents smoke, why should I care? 

After eating, we sort of lounged around until midnight. I had no urge to write or do anything lately because I was so tired. I made sure all the doors and windows were locked and we headed upstairs for bed. 

The guest bedroom was two doors away from me, so I could still be close if something happened. “Well….” I began. 

“Um….” Tim began, once again avoiding my gaze. “Thanks. Y’know, for everything. I’m surprised you even let me stay.” 

“Pfft.” I mumbled. “I needed some company anyway. I’ll admit it’s sort of…strange, but I’m pretty sure we’ll get used to it soon.” 

“Yeah…” 

There was silence between us for a moment and he coughed. “Well uh….goodnight Shell.” 

“Night Tim.” 

We went into our separate bedrooms and I crawled into bed. When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep…and did not dream.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jess knew she had a semi-normal life. 

She really did. 

But what someone named Alex Kralie in your room, at 3 in the morning and holding a knife to your neck, be considered normal? 

Eh…nope. Not at all. 

Jess didn’t hardly breathe, didn’t even hardly move as she glanced up at the male before her. He had an indescribable look on his face and it looked like he had mixed emotions about what was going on. 

“Um-.” 

“Don’t move a muscle.” Alex hissed, pressing the cold blade against her throat more to the point where it almost drew blood. 

“Okay.” Jess squeaked. 

“You’re lucky I didn’t just slit your throat while you slept. It would’ve been better, that way you would hardly feel the pain.” He grumbled. “I bet you wanna know why, right?” 

She nodded. 

“Because you’re friends with that girl and because she works for that….thing.” he spat the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. 

“S-Shell doesn’t work for him…..she’s….he’s…sorta like her….protector.” Jess rasped, trying hard not to move her throat against the blade of the knife. 

Alex glared down at her and then removed the knife from her throat. Jess finally breathed in air and Alex put the knife in a holster on his right thigh. “Get up. You’re coming with me.” 

“….What?” 

“Are you deaf?” he glared. “I said, you’re coming with me. Whether I have to drag you out of here or not.” 

“Alright, alright!” she sighed heavily. “Just…let me get some things ready.” 

Alex grumbled to himself as he jumped out the window, landing in the bushes below. Jess sighed to herself and got her things ready. 

“What have I gotten myself into…?” 

……………………….

Tim woke up to the sound of knocking from the front door. He groaned and coughed a little, lifting his head up from the pillow. Where was he…? Oh yeah….

He wondered if Shell could hear the knocking. Tim wasn’t much of a deep sleeper anymore, so he could easily pick up things in his sleep. He coughed a little more and then threw the covers off, getting out of the bed. 

Two doors down….He thought to himself and left the bedroom, going to Shell’s door. He knocked on it a few times, hoping he didn’t have to go in. When she didn’t answer, he opened the door quietly and poked his head in. The room was dark, even though it was almost one in the afternoon. “Shell…?” 

No response. 

He ventured further into the room, seeing many posters on the walls. He could see her form in the darkness. She was lying on her stomach, with one arm around the pillow and the other lying over the edge of the bed. Her dark red tank top was wrinkled from sleep, her hair spiky and strewn all over the place. 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked to the edge of the bed. When he leaned down to reach out, he saw a scar on the back of her right shoulder. Tim remembered her saying that she had met Alex in a bad way….

He sighed and touched her shoulder, lightly shaking her. “Shell? There’s someone at the front door…..” 

She stirred, bringing up the arm that had been hanging over the bed to curl it around her pillow. “Hmm…?” she asked groggily. 

“There’s someone at the front door.” 

She groaned and lifted herself from the bed. “Alright alright….” She mumbled groggily. 

………………………..

I wasn’t happy when Tim woke me up, but when he said someone was at the front door; I just had to get up. I staggered down the stairs, Tim following me and unlocked the front door, opening it. 

Two police men stood there. 

I blinked tiredly. “How can I help you gentlemen?” 

“We’re sorry to wake you miss, but we have a missing person case.” The taller officer spoke and brought out a photograph of a brown-haired girl with glasses. “The mother of the girl claims you and her are friends.” 

I blinked, looking at the photograph closely and then my eyes widened. Jess! She’s missing?! My mind screamed and I glanced back up at the officers. “I…yes, we’re good friends…w-when..?” 

“Last night. Her mother went into her room early this morning and said she was gone, her window was open.” The shorter officer replied. “If you see her or know anything, give us a call.” 

They took the photograph and left to their car. I numbly closed the front door and just stood there. Then, I punched the door and winced when I felt pain erupt in my knuckles. “Fuck……..this is my fault…..” I whispered, hearing my voice crack as tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. I slumped down against the door, my back against it. I had nearly forgotten that Tim was standing there and he glanced down at me with sympathy when the tears trickled down my cheeks. 

I knew this was my fault. Hell, it was probably Alex that took her, to get back at me. I sniffled and wrapped my arms around myself, feeling cold all of a sudden. “Shell….what did the officers want..?” he asked, kneeling down in front of me. 

“My friend is missing.” I replied, looking down at my lap. “I knew it was him…I knew Alex was the one who took her…to get back at me…..” 

“How do you know it was Alex?” 

I looked at him dead in the eye. “I’m not stupid Tim. Alex stabbed me and then he tried to rape me. Just because he thought I was working with Slenderman…” 

“W-whoa, what? Slenderman?” Tim stopped me there. 

For the next hour, I explained to Tim about the Slenderman. What he did, who I thought he was….things like that. “Um….could he be watching us right now?” 

“Possibly.” I sniffed and then coughed hard into my hand. “I have to find Jess. I can’t let her be with Alex. He’ll use her to get to me. If he finds out you’re here, he’ll kill you also.” 

“All I know is that neither of us doesn’t trust Alex. I don’t even know what happened to Jay.” Tim sighed heavily and then lit a cigarette. “I haven’t spoken nor seen him in nearly a year.” 

I sighed also. 

A few hours later, Tim went out for a few errands and I was alone in the house. I was looking around when I found a camera. I checked the batteries and saw that they were full. I sighed and turned it on and began recording myself. 

“Um……” I began, biting my lip a little and looked into the camera. “I’m a little camera shy…so…I’ll try my best. My name’s Shell; I’m 19-years old. I live…well….I now live with Tim from MarbleHornets. He came to me yesterday…with an arm injury. First Alex and now Tim…since I first became the Slenderman’s human. Um…..if anybody does watch this…the Slenderman is real. He’s not….evil…but merely stalks humans to observe them. To learn about humans.” I paused for a moment and sighed. “I uh……I don’t know how long I’ll live…since Alex is after me…and he kidnapped Jess. Not the Jessica from MarbleHornets, my friend Jessica, who I call Jess. I haven’t seen the Slenderman in a few days…which…is a little worrying……and-.”

 

Before I could continue, the door was slammed open and Alex came marching in, a knife in his hand. “Alex?!” my voice was full of shock and question. “How did you-?! Wait…what are you doing?! Alex!” 

I dropped the camera as Alex came at me with the knife and before I could do anything, he plunged it right into my gut. I screamed out in pain and fell to the floor when he yanked it out. Blood was already gushing from the wound and my hands shook as I attempted to stop the bleeding. 

Alex sat on top of me and immediately plunged the dagger into my chest, making me gasp and then yell out in pain. He yanked it back out and plunged it right back in. My screams were soon silenced and all I could do was gasp and wheeze. With one final stab, he yanked the knife out and waved the blade in front of my eyes. 

“I’ll leave you here for him to find.” He snarled and then got up. 

I watched him leave with blurry eyes and slammed the door shut. I felt tears trickle down my cheeks, mixing with the blood on my face. I managed to turn my head, so that I was facing the camera. “I…if of y-you are w-watching this….” I managed to choke out. “I…it means I’m…..d-dead….” 

I whimpered and felt my heart begin to slow down. I let out a quiet gasp and my eyes began to close. With one final last beat, my eyes closed completely and I felt my life….fade away. 

…………………………

Tim coughed as he walked up to the front door of Shell’s house. As he got closer, he saw a large footprint on the door. His eyes narrowed and then he opened the door and walked in. 

“Shell?” he called out her name and immediately, the stench of blood came to his nostrils. He immediately put a hand over his nose and mouth and coughed, the scent making him gag. He ventured further into the living room and came upon the source of the blood. 

“Shell!” he hurried to the bloodied body in front of him. As soon as he touched her skin, he felt how cold she was. He saw the many stab wounds in her entire torso, meaning that someone had murdered her. “Shell, come on, wake up.” He got onto the floor and hauled her into his lap. Blood covered his hands, anywhere skin showed. 

He checked for a pulse, anything to indicate that she was still alive. But he found nothing. The one person he thought he could trust, the one person who understood what he was going through….was now gone. 

He held her cold body to him, tears falling down his face. He shook his head back and forth, trying to shake it off as if it was a nightmare. 

And then the room became darker. 

He glanced around with teary eyes and his eyes landed onto the tall figure before him. Tim exclaimed, still holding the body in his arms tightly. 

Tim….a powerful, booming and male voice in his head spoke. 

The dark-haired man gasped. “Y-you….!” 

The creature, the tall man, kneeled beside Shell’s body and reached one hand out to touch her face. Tim glanced at the being, feeling a cough build up in his chest. He was afraid of the creature. 

Put her body on the floor. 

“W-why should I?” 

The Slenderman glanced at him with a featureless face and Tim knew he meant no harm. With slight hesitation, he set Shell’s body down on the floor. All of a sudden, the Slenderman’s left hand grew larger and the fingertips sharpened to points as he held the hand above Shell’s torso. 

“H-hey, what are you doing?” Tim questioned. 

The fingers came down. 

“STOP!” 

And pierced her torso.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jess patiently waited for Alex to come back. Oh, how she should’ve never agreed to go with him. They were in some decent hotel in a small town in Indiana. She remembered Shell-sama saying that she lived in Indiana.

She ran a hand through her reddish-brown hair and sighed, hoping Alex would get back soon. All of a sudden, she heard the hotel room door open and then shut as Alex came into view. 

“Alex, where the hell ya-HOLY CRAP, WHY ARE YOU COVERED IN BLOOD?!!” she shrieked, motioning to the blood on Alex’s shirt and jeans. 

He glared at her through his glasses and that’s when she noticed a knife in a holster on his right thigh.

And there was blood on it. 

“Alex…..what did you do..?” she questioned slowly. 

He ignored her question and walked into the bathroom, shedding his bloody shirt and getting a rag wet to wipe his face. 

“Alex!” Jess shouted, marching into the bathroom also and stopped when she saw him. Holy shit, he’s got a nice body. But that’s not the issue here! “What the hell did you do?! Did something happen? Did you…..kill someone…?” 

“You could say that.” He replied, muffled from the rag and brought it away from his face. “I had to. She was a threat.” 

“Wait….are you….talking about….Shell?” Jess asked and when she didn’t get an answer, she got angry. “Alex! Fucking tell me what you did!!” she grabbed his arm. 

“Fine!!” he bellowed, grabbing her arm and pinning her against the door. “You want the truth? She’s dead! I killed her! I killed her because she was a threat! Because she was working with that fucking thing! She might’ve been working with Tim too!” 

Jess felt her bottom lip quiver and tears sting at her eyes. Anger boiled up inside of her very core and much to his surprise, she slapped him across the face. “YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU?! SHE WASN’T WORKING FOR HIM! HE WAS PROTECTING HER FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU!!” 

As she went on and on, Alex was becoming more irritated by the second and he became worried that the people next door would hear her. “Shut up!” he whispered harshly and slapped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. 

Then she bit his hand. 

Alex yelped in pain and brought his hand back. His cheek was already throbbing, now his hand! “Stop it.” He growled and held her arm more tightly. 

Jess wanted to fight back, she really did. But when it came to someone who was much stronger than her, she was submissive. She just gave up, knowing that it wouldn’t bring Shell-sama back. 

And then she remembered that he was shirtless. 

Jess reached up to push her glasses back onto her face and then tried to get away from Alex. But he didn’t release her arm. “Alex, let go. Hey, what are you-mmmmffph!” Her sentence was cut off when he had roughly pulled her towards him and crushed his lips to hers. Jess was beyond shocked! 

Alex still had a hold on her arm. His free hand went to the back of her neck and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Jess was still shocked at the current situation and the fact that he was half-naked didn’t make the situation any better. 

No, it made it hotter. 

I can’t believe I’m doing this. Jess thought and let her eyes close as she attempted to return the near violent kiss. She felt her face heat up to a thousand shades of red as their chest pressed together, now pinning her against the door completely. It was a kiss of dominance and anger. His other hand released her arm and hooked around her waist, resting on her hip. 

He licked her bottom lip and she clamped her lips shut, but Alex growled and reached up, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling, causing Jess to gasp and her mouth to open. She squeezed her eyes shut even more and couldn’t hold back the moan when his tongue slid over her own and into the unexplored territory. 

After a few moments of rough kissing, Alex finally pulled away, both of them panting. Jess’s blue eyes then lit up with anger and she slapped him across the face, hard. 

“Don’t touch me again.” She snarled and then walked out of the bathroom, fuming to herself. 

…………………………..

It seemed like I was in a dream, as I felt like I was in a deep slumber. I didn’t feel any pain, but I felt somewhat sore, especially in my torso. I groaned softly and opened my eyes, seeing that I was staring up at my ceiling. 

“Shell?” a quiet, male voice spoke and I turned my head to the side to see Tim sitting there by my bedside, a worried expression on his face. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah…..what happened….?” I asked quietly, slowly sitting up. 

“Well…….” Tim looked unsure about telling me. But he cleared his throat and then began to explain. “Alex….killed you. And I came back, finding you then………Slenderman appeared and he…..he did something with his fingers….it’s like they grew bigger and into sharp points and he stabbed your torso…….but he did……something….and you came back….it’s been two days since….” 

I felt sleepy again and I turned onto my side, facing him. We stared at each other for a moment and then he reached over, grasping my hand. I let him hold my hand and I curled my fingers around his hand, squeezing gently. 

“Shell……can you do something for me?” he asked me, his dark eyes searching into my hazel ones. 

I nodded and he continued. “Tell me everything is going to be alright.” 

I was silent for a moment before speaking. “Everything is going to be alright.” 

It didn’t take me long to fall back asleep and when I woke the next time, which was very slowly, I felt long, thin fingers treading through my long hair, stroking through the locks. I felt the powerful presence that engulfed me and I slowly opened my eyes, seeing the tall man sitting on my bed next to me. 

I was lying on my side, facing him. I glanced up at him and spoke quietly. “What did you do…?” 

“I brought you back.” He replied just as quietly, his hand still treading through my hair. It felt so good. “It is not a move that I make just for anyone…..” 

He took his hand out of my hair, which made me tense up again and I sat up, looking up at him. “You can’t just bring anybody back……” 

Slender glanced down at me and as far as an expressionless face could go, if he had eyebrows, he would’ve furrowed them a little. “You are right. I cannot just bring anybody back.” 

“Tell me what you did.” 

“It is only something I have done once or twice, usually to a person who is either nearly dead or already gone.” He began. “I can either use my tendrils or my fingers, whichever is best at the time. What I do is pierce your skin, making sure I pierce your heart. Then I send a certain amount of my blood into your bloodstream. In your case, your blood is now half human and half Slender…which makes you half human and half Slender.” 

I gaped at him, my mind processing everything that was thrown at me. “W-wait…does that mean I’m like you now?” 

“Not exactly.” He replied and then with one finger, poked my forehead. “You still have the appearance of a human, but you will have my abilities. Slowed aging, tendrils, teleportation, most of what I have.” 

I rubbed my forehead where he had poked me after his finger left. “So what am I supposed to do now?” 

He suddenly grabbed my face in his large, pale hands and made me look at him. I watched as his real mouth appeared. “Now….just this...” he answered and to my complete shock, he leaned down and warm lips captured my own. My eyes widened to the size of saucers and my hands twitched as I moved them up to push him away. 

But I felt his tendrils wrap around my wrists and my body, effectively trapping me within them. “Mmmf……..” my protests were muffled by his smooth, warm lips and my eyes closed tightly. If this was happening to any other person, they would be screaming and trying to get away as quickly as they could. 

But I didn’t want to scream, or run away. 

I wanted to stay….

My body relaxed in his hold and I slowly, shyly began to return the kiss. His lips seemed to fit perfectly with mine, which was a bit of a surprise to me. His lips pressed slightly harder against mine and I felt him bite my bottom lip, causing a gasp to escape my throat. A strangled moan escaped when I felt a long, slick appendage slide into my mouth, exploring the new territory. 

During this time, I was somewhat aware of his right hand sneaking underneath my shirt and it rested on my breastbone, above my heart. I felt a slight burning sensation and on instinct, tried to pull away, but I was held close to the tall man’s slender and insanely warm body. 

Finally, he pulled away from my swollen lips and went to my earlobe, his sharp teeth nibbling on it. I panted, eyes closed tightly and my heart pounding in my chest. I felt his hand slightly leave my chest and then his long fingers brushed over something on my chest. Even though it felt like he had branded me, it felt more like a tattoo. 

“Now……..” he murmured in my ear. “You are officially mine…”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jess glanced over at Alex as he packed up what things they had. It had been a few days since he had kissed her and when she realized that he had killed one of her best friend. She kept asking him why he had done it and he had kept replying that 'your friend was with that faceless freak'. 

Jess sighed softly and watched as Alex stood up, zipping up the backpack and dufflebag. “Let's go.” He demanded. 

“And where are we going?” Jess asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“We're going to find Tim and take care of him next.” He replied, his cold eyes glancing at her from behind his glasses. “And then after that, we will find the Operator and kill him as well.” 

“How do you expect to find a way to kill him?” Jess asked once more. 

“None of your business.” He snarled. “Let's go, we're wasting time.” 

“No.” Jess crossed her arms over her chest and stayed sitting down. She wasn't going with him, even if he was a psychopathic murderer or even if he was hot. 

Alex growled angrily and then marched over to Jess, grabbed her arm and yanked her up, swinging her over his shoulder. “Hey!” She shrieked and pounded her fists on his back. “Alex, let me go!!” 

Alex ignored her screams and pleas as he marched out of the hotel, glaring at the receptionist as she looked at them. He was tempted to knock the annoying girl out to make this easier, but he needed her to be awake. He tossed her into the front seat of the car and threw the bags into the back seat. He slid into the front passenger seat and shut the door. “Drive.” 

“Like hell I'm going to do what you say!” 

Alex pulled out a gun from his belt and pressed it against her ribs. Jess flinched visibly and he got close to her. “Drive or you will have a bullet lodged into your ribs.” He hissed in her ear. “And I'm sure you don't want that.” 

Jess put the car into reverse and backed up, then into drive and drove off into the way Alex told her. “Tim is still around the town, most likely. So we're going to keep driving until we find him and then....I'm going to kill him.” 

Jess gulped. What had she and Shell gotten into? 

…......................

Tim had left Shell's place, telling her that he would be back soon. He had ran out of cigarettes. He still couldn't believe the faceless being bought her back to life, but...she was different. Her skin was paler, as pale as the tall man's. Her eyes seemed a bit more dull, the green in her eyes more pale. She acted a little different even, more distant and quiet. 

A lot like the Operator himself. 

What had that being done to her that made her so different? Tim didn't dare question the being as he was afraid of being killed, though the Operator did not seem violent towards him, nor Shell. He actually seemed to be....protective over them, especially Shell.

Tim sighed. He wasn't sure what to think anymore, except that Alex was still out there, doing god knows what. He didn't even know where Jay was. He walked down the street towards the gas station with a car pulled up beside him. He glanced at the car and then froze when Alex came out from the front passenger's seat, pointing a gun at him. 

Oh no....Tim thought in fear.

Alex smirked. “Hey there Tim. Long time no see.” 

“A...Alex...what are you...?” Tim took a couple steps back and Alex aimed the gun at his head. 

“I'm going to finish what I started. Get in the car.” 

“But-.” 

“GET IN THE FUCKING CAR!” 

Tim immediately got into the back seat of the car, Alex back into the front passenger's seat. Alex told the girl driving to drive off and she did, the whole time Alex pointed a gun at Tim. “Alex, why do you want me dead so bad..?” 

Alex glared at Tim harshly and then told the girl to drive off into the woods. Tim was terrified. He didn't know what Alex was going to do exactly, but he had a hunch that Alex was going to kill him. Tim wasn't going down without a fight. He would fight until the very end. 

It was dark by the time they got to the woods. Alex told the girl to park the car and then told Tim to get out of the car without doing anything stupid. Tim got out without a word, followed by Alex who kept the gun aimed at Tim. “Now...let's see. Where should I shoot you at? The head.....? Or maybe the heart..?” Alex mused, deciding on a vital body part to shoot. 

“Neither!” Tim shouted and lunged at Alex, causing the other male to press the trigger on accident. The bullet grazed his arm, but that didn't stop Tim from tackling Alex to the forest floor. The gun fell out of Alex's hand and onto the ground. The two men rolled around, trying to punch the other's daylights out. 

Tim finally rolled on top of Alex and snarled, wrapping his hands around Alex's throat tightly. Alex wheezed and clawed at Tim's hands, trying to get him to let go of him. “You tried to kill her.....” Tim whispered. 

“I did!” Alex choked. 

Tim laughed and glared into Alex's eyes. “No you didn't. The Operator brought her back to life...and because of you, SHE IS NOW DIFFERENT!” He removed one hand from Alex's throat and punched the older male across the face. “This is your fault Alex! All of it is YOUR fault!!” 

Alex coughed up his own blood and gasped, then he reeled his fist and punched Tim in the stomach as hard as he could. All the air left Tim's lungs and he coughed, falling to the ground and holding his stomach. Alex grabbed the gun and right as Tim went to get up, he shot him in the left shoulder. 

Tim cried out in pain and fell to the ground again, gasping in pain. He held a hand to his shoulder, looking up at Alex's bloodied and already bruising face. “Well.....guess this is it Tim.” Alex smirked, wiping the blood from his lip with his free hand. “Any last words you want to say before I put a bullet in your forehead?”

“Yeah, two words.....fuck you.” 

“A fighter to the very end.” Alex chuckled and then he pulled the trigger. 

Tim had closed his eyes to wait for the bullet to kill him, but he was surprised when there was no bullet and he wasn't dead. He heard a gasp come from Alex and Tim's eyes shot open. He looked out in front of him and his eyes went wide in shock and surprise. 

Shell stood between him and Alex, standing over Tim protectively. Shell's hand was in front of her, holding the bullet between her thumb and index finger. “Shell...” Tim gasped. 

Alex was shocked as well, not believing that the girl in front of him was alive and standing there. Jess's eyes widened and she sat in the car in shock. Shell's eyes glared into Alex's as she let the bullet drop to the ground. 

“Now its your turn.” 

Tim glanced at her back as he heard the fabric began to tear. He gasped as black snake-like things came out from her back, flailing in the air angrily. They shot forwards towards Alex and he made a move to shoot at them, but one tendril smacked the gun out of his hand and several tendrils wrapped around his body, lifting him off the ground. Shell stood there emotionlessly as the tendrils began to slam Alex into different objects. Trees, the ground, boulders and rocks, anything. 

Alex cried out as his arm shattered when it collided with the tree yet again. The tendrils brought him close to Shell, her eyes glaring right into his. “M....monster...” He choked. 

“No Alex,” She shook her head. “You're the monster. And you're going to leave them all alone. Tim, Jess and Jay.....you will never touch them, speak to them or even see them again. If you do, I will find out and when I do.....I won't show you such mercy again.” And then she touched Alex's forehead with one finger, letting him vanish. 

There was total silence before Tim spoke up. “W...where did you send him...?” 

“Japan.” Shell replied, watching as Jess came out of the car and ran towards her. The younger girl hugged the older very tightly and Shell hugged her back just as tightly. “I'm sorry you got into this mess....” 

“No...it's okay Shell. I'm just so happy that you're alright....” Jess cried softly. 

“Me too...” 

The two parted after a while and Shell then touched her forehead. “Goodbye Jess.” She whispered and before Jess could speak, she vanished as well. Shell sighed softly and retracted the tendrils into her back, before walking over to Tim and kneeling down in front of him. 

She touched the wound in his shoulder and Tim felt warmth spread through his shoulder. Within seconds, she took her hand away and the wound was gone. “Shell...what...?” He looked at her. 

She sighed softly and looked at him, sadness in her eyes. “I'm not human anymore Tim....you already know that. I can't.....I can't be around you anymore....I only cause pain and trouble.” 

“C'mon Shell...that's not true.” He said, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing. “You did a lot for me and us.” 

“I'm so sorry for everything Tim....” She whispered, a couple tears rolling down her cheeks. “And goodbye....” 

Before he could ask what she was doing, she touched his forehead and he vanished as well. Shell stayed there for a moment, before she stood up and felt a large, cool hand gently rub the top of her head. 

You could have brought him with us. The Operator spoke in her mind softly. 

“I know....but I didn't want him to go through anymore pain.....I can't erase memories like you can yet...but he'll never see me again.” She closed her eyes, wiping the tears away from her face. 

I see.....then we will go. There is nothing left for us here. 

“Yes....Master.” 

His hand curled over her shoulder and they both vanished from the spot, as if they were never there in the first place. 

The forest was silent. 

And the moon shone bright in the clear, night sky.


End file.
